Rome braces for two million faithful and two hundred heads of state on Friday

Rome, Italy, Apr 5, 2005 / 12:00 am (CNA).- Italian officials in Rome are making emergency plans to accommodate the more than two million people and two hundred heads of state expected to attend John Paul II’s funeral Mass on Friday.

“The faithful are arriving in buses, trains and airplanes,” said Guido Bertolaso, Director of Civil Protection in Rome. Traffic heading into Rome is increasing by the minute, he added. “There is literally a wave of pilgrims arriving. This is a critical moment and it is inevitable that there will be critical moments requiring last minute decisions and corrections,” he stated.